We Hungarians like to make challenging foods, layered dishes serve as a good example. Don’t worry, their preparation doesn’t call for professional skills, but you will face a big pile of messy pots and pans that have to be washed up afterwards.

Kolozsvár layered sauerkraut is one of the most often prepared sauerkraut dishes in Hungary. Despite its name it has no concern with Kolozsvár (Cluj), its recipe originates from Nagyvárad (Oradea), the capital city of Bihor County, which can be found on the western boundary of Transylvania. The town’s sub-prefect had the layered sauerkraut cooked in honour of the famous actress Déryné Széppataki Róza at some time in the 19th century. She took the recipe to Budapest, and it became the base of later versions.

The original layered sauerkraut was cooked in a large copper pot, which was lined with thick and fatty pork skin. Sauerkraut, pork, chicken, sausages and ham were layered and cooked together. The ingredients have been modified during the centuries, layered sauerkraut contains nowadays rice, pork, sausage and sour cream.